Need Ideas for unused acrylic tank

[Soulofamind]

Hello TRT!,

Lately I have been trying to sell this 50g Acrylic tank for months with no success. It is undrilled without an interior overflow box (nor do I have an exterior one for it) and a little bit of bowing when viewed from the side. SO, I decided why not just use it!...

BUT. I have no idea what I want to do with it. I currently own a 35g and thought about transferring over to the 50g. I thought about making an interior overflow box for it but not entirely sure. And I'm thinking about a closed loop system. Ahh. So many ideas. I was wondering if dear TRT, could throw out a couple of ideas for me. I have some pictures of the tank too.

[Fat Tony]

How about a Caribbean biotope... I am in the middle of building one. Macro algaes, zoanthids and ricordia...

Also, a coast to coast overflow would be great... just my $0.02

[Soulofamind]

Wow. I have never heard of a Coast to Coast before. That is going to on the MUST DO list. Hmm. I thought about a different biotope but I'm thinking of just transferring the 35g stuff into the new 50g. And then maybe making the 35g my acclimation/nursing tank.

[Fat Tony]

A coast to coast (aka calfo) is a must, do some research on the best way to do it... fo me, I would route a groove in the back of the tank and build an external overflow box...It's the cleanest way to do it.

[sks4613]

Depending on how the bad the bowing is (hard to tell from the photo) I would probably switch the smaller tank to a quarantine and set up the larger tank for my display unit. Can never have to much room. Closed loop would be awesome on this tank. Think of the flow that could be created. Overflow is not biggie either internal or external. Best of luck with it!

[Soulofamind]

The bowing doesn't seem that bad, but I will take a picture after I get off work (11pm Pacific). I have an extra 35g un-drilled that I intend to use as the new sump, and utilize the current 35g as a nursery.

Are there any links for making a Calfo Overflow according to the dimensions of my tank? (48x13x20) And are there any links for creating a closed loop? I tried googling/searching but I keep running into threads that deal with specific questions/problems. I'll continue to search when I have the time.

Currently I'm debating on wether or not I want to keep sand. If I do I don't intend to make it deeper than 2". I really appreciate your input! Meanwhile I have to go back to work and think about how else I want to set up the tank.

[fihsboy]

How about a refugium type tank. Shoal grass, turtle grass,ricordea, pipefish, seahorse, sponge, starfish, shrimp, and a closed loop with a scwd on it. then your talking some motion in your seagrass...ive wanted this setup since I started....One day....ONE DAY.

[fihsboy]

http://www.melevsreef.com/closedloop.html
Basics

but if you want to drill the back......that would be more effiecent. that would be SWEET.

[Fat Tony]

Originally Posted by Soulofamind

Are there any links for making a Calfo Overflow according to the dimensions of my tank? (48x13x20) And are there any links for creating a closed loop? I tried googling/searching but I keep running into threads that deal with specific questions/problems. I'll continue to search when I have the time.

I don't think you will find any sites devoted to just Calfo or Coast to Coast overflow... but here's the major point, a coast to coast should go almost the entire width of the tank, minus 1.5" minimum from each end (if you go the internal CTC style overflow using slotted PVC, you want the edge of the hole to be no closer to any edge than the diameter of the hole for the bulkhead... maning, if you are using a 1.5" hole, then you don't want to drill any closer than 1.5" from the top or side of the tank to the outermost edge of the hole.. The whole idea behind a CTC or calfo is to take the thinnest slice of water from the top surface of the water, but instead of just portions of the tank like a reef ready tank, it skimms the entire surface of the tank (well mostly).... HTH

[Soulofamind]

Ah! Thanks for the input! Hmm... so a coast to coast seems pretty easy to make! I'm excited, now I just need to make a blueprint for it. Does it matter how deep/wide the Coast to coast should be? I've read 4" wide would be good for any cleaning by hand or what not.

I have been thinking about drilling the tank. It's been on my mind ever since I've had more experience for my fish tank. Can I use flexible tubing instead of PVC for a closed loop system? I've seen some tanks posted here which used flexible tubing. But I wasn't sure if they were closed loop. I do know that too many 90degree angles reduces I believe the water flow? Not quite sure.

Ah, thats a great idea fihsboy! I love the whole look of a sea grass type biotope. It looks extremely fascinating and unique! Thanks again everyone. I'll come back if I have any more questions. Back to being a barista again! Haha.

[mxracer19]

Yes. You can buy flexible PVC tube. Drilling tanks is easy...drilling acrylic tanks is rediculously easy. Routing a slot would be a little more challenging but it would be awesome. Just clamp some lumber to either side of your router so it can't shift.

[Elegance Coral]

Here's an example of a CTC I just built for a glass tank.


In your case, I would get a plunge router. You should be able to rent one from Lowes. A plunge router will allow you to leave the top section of the tank intact. Just router out slots allong the back that don't go all the way to the top. The glue a box on the back with drain holes drilled in the bottom. This way there will be nothing inside your tank.